Infected Cities #1: New York City

This LIVECAST was broadcasted live on Thursday May 7 from 18.30 - 20.00 and has been recorded. Watch the episode via the video below!

As the coronavirus begins to make large numbers of victims in New York City, we see the city changing from a vibrant area the city that never sleeps– into the epicentre of the corona crisis. The inequality within the city that has existed for years is now clearly exposed. The coronavirus has claimed both rich and poor in the city, but as the death toll has mounted, it is clear that the virus has a disproportionate impact on immigrant communities. While some New Yorkers have enough resources to stay home safely or flee the city to their country houses, others: the people with less resources, suffer tremendously. How does the pandemic reveal existing inequalities in New York City?

During this programme we will talk with different change makers in New York City. There are a lot of creatives who use their work to support communities that are now affected by the coronavirus. The added value of arts and culture in a society is currently even more visible. Who are these people and which roles can creatives (designers, makers, writers, journalists and other storytellers) take to make cities more resilient?

Amongst others, the speakers in the programme were Michael Persson (correspondent U.S.A. for newspaper De Volkskrant), Anousha Nzume (actress, columnist and writer) and Kamau Ware (artist, historian, initiator of the Black Gotham Experience and participant in the 2019 DutchCulture foreign visitors programme on Dutch-American shared heritage). The LIVECAST was moderated by journalist, media educator and writer Zoë Papaikonomou.

The series Infected Cities is developed in collaboration with Pakhuis de Zwijger.